Today, 19 May 2023, MUT and its partners, are launching a Climate Change Project at the University. The Project will be housed in the Faculty of Engineering. The Acting Dean of the faculty, Professor Babatunde Bakare, said the Project would provide opportunities for other faculties to contribute to generating the relevant knowledge, and be part of the academic curriculum that will be taught to students in an effort to mitigate the negative effects of climate change. Dr Olu Ajayi, Chief Executive Officer of Siyacanda Energy, which is one of the University’s partners, explained the dire consequences of climate change, and pointed out that humans were directly responsible for the “scourge,” and described it as “one of the major challenges of the 21st Century that presents itself on a global scale.”
Dr Ajayi said the main objective of the project was to develop the know-how and provide the requisite technologies for emissions measurement aimed at providing evidence for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Dr Ajayi said the negative effects of climate change are affecting all countries, especially developing countries in various ways, which have developed into patterns that are now clear and sustainable. These are persistent drought and extreme weather events, rising sea levels, coastal erosion and ocean acidification. These challenges have a severe impact upon food security, water, energy and health. Dr Ajayi also pointed out the attempts to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development in South Africa. South Africa’s economy is largely driven by fossil fuels, and this results in the highest emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in Africa. Dr Ajayi said the cost of “inaction, or poorly executed action” would be too high to ignore.